‘Coco,’ a lively take on the Day of the Dead, wins at box office » Manila Bulletin Entertainment

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – “Coco” gave Disney and Pixar much to be thankful for over the long Thanksgiving weekend, as the highly reviewed animation led all comers on North American screens, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

A scene from ‘Coco’ (Walt Disney)

The film, which tells the story of a 12-year-old Mexican, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), who longs to become a musician but faces a generations-old family ban on music, netted an estimated $49 million for the three-day weekend and $71.2 million for the Wednesday-through-Sunday period, said Exhibitor Relations.

“Coco,” which takes Miguel into the magical Land of the Dead, where trickster Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) helps him unravel a deep family secret, received a rare A+ rating from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.

Disney and Pixar now claim the top six Thanksgiving openings of all time, according to HollywoodReporter.com, led by “Frozen,” with a five-day opening of $93.6 million.

In second place this weekend was Warner Bros. film “Justice League,” with a three-day take of $40.7 million in its second week out. The superhero flick has an all-star cast of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman, joining to fend off supervillain Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds).

In third was Lionsgate’s feel-good film “Wonder,” with a better-than-expected net of $22.3 million. The movie, starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, tells the story of a fifth-grade boy with a facial deformity who must deal with other children’s shock and bullying when he first attends a mainstream school.

“Thor: Ragnarok,” from Disney and Marvel, claimed a solid fourth place, at $16.8 million. The film features the self-mocking humor of Chris Hemsworth as the powerful Norse god and Cate Blanchett as death goddess Hela.

Fifth place went to Christmas comedy “Daddy’s Home 2” from Paramount, at $13.3 million. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the less-than-competent co-parents of Wahlberg’s kids as they cope, as well, with their own visiting fathers (John Lithgow and Mel Gibson).